Improvement in fire-escapes



H. STIBBS.

Fire-Escapes.

Patented May 26,1874.

No.15l,448.

WITNE S5555 Y.

TENT f FFIE.

HENRY STIBBS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPRVEMENT IN FRiESCAPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. ilfill, dated May 2G, 1874; application tiled February 11, 1874.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Re it known that I, HENRY STrBBs, of the city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain Improvements in Fire- Escapes, of which the following is a specification, and I do hereby declare that in the saine is contained a full, clear, and exact description of my said invention, reference being ha d to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to that class oi' tireescapes wherein a car or elevator is used in lowering persons, pieces of furniture, 85e., from the upper rooms of a building on tire, the said car or elevator sliding upon guideplates arranged at either side of a row of windows in the building.

My invention consists in certain devices tending to protect the occupants ot' the car from iianies issuing' out of windows past which it must pass in its ascent or descent.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part et' this speeitication, Figure l is an elevation or a portion of a building to which my invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a sectional eleva-tion or' a front of a building having my invention attached thereto, and Figs. 3 and et are enlarged sectional views of detached parts of my invention. Y

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts of the invention in all the views.

A A are vertical guide-plates standing and secured at either side of a line of windows and doors in a building. R is the car, of sheet metal 01 other incombustible substance, adapted to slide upon the guide-plates A, and

' lowered or raised through the medium of the wire rope a., secured thereto, and leading over the sheaves b and c, fastened to the front of the building, down to the winding-drum C. rlhe winding devices consist of the drum C, friction-pulley C connected thereto, and friction-strap d, operated by a lever and weight, e f. The drum G and friction-pulley revolve upon an axis projecting from and securely fastened to the building. The back of the ear, or that portion next to the building, is formed of two plates, one of them, g, being fixed, and the other, l1., forming an automatically-acting tire-shield. The shield fis designed to protect the occupants of the car from flames issuing out of windows, and is operated as follows: Supposing that persons are to be rescued from the windows in the Mansard roof, and the ear is elevated so that persons can step thereinto, the shield h being at this time lowered so that its upper edge is even with that of the plate g, as soon as the .car begins to descend the projection t' on the shield engages a bracket, t, which, as the car continues to descend, lifts up the shield until the sprin 7c at the back of the plate g enters the hole Z in the shield, locking it up. The brackets t', which are placed below each window, are weighted and pivoted, so that when the shield is locked they do not prevent the descent of' the car in any way, neither affect it in its ascent. IVhen the car reaches the ground the lower part ot the springK is pressed against the projection m, tending to vforce the spring' from contact with the hole lin the shield, allowing the shield to fall, and to remain in readiness for the entrance of other persons to be rescued. A stop, a, is placed between the inner surface of the spring k and the plate (j, operating with the projection m when brought into contact with it, to force the spring from the hole l in the shield. The car when not in use may be used as a balcony in front of any of the windows in its line of movement. It can also be used for any other purposes of elevating and lowering.

Having thus described my invention, what I' claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is*

l. The shield h, capable of being automatically litted and locked, as specified, in combination with a car adapted to slide up and down upon vertical guide-plates secured to a building, as and for the purposes setrforth.

2. The spring k, secured to the car, stop a, and projection m., co-operatin g to admit ofthe descent or fall of the shield when held up by the said spring L, substantially as herein specified.

HENRY STIBBS.

Witnesses:

THoMAs C. GoNNoLLY, W. I. GOLLAMER. 

